Let's Walk 1000 Steps Movement (Lampung 2017)

Let's Walk 1000 Steps Movement (Lampung 2017)

MKNT Foundation

“Let’s Walk 1000 Steps Movement”

Thorn Pierced, Gone One Leg

His excitement for life almost fades away. The sensitivity of his soul is eroded. He can hardly find his true self. His daily life spent by gazing at pile of coffee beans, each by each. Which one that’s ripe already which one that’s not. Which one that is the super size and which that is not. He chose and sorted those coffee beans one by one. Put it in each group then put it in one big container. After that, he skins the coffee beans patiently.

And so on, every day. Sometimes it feels a little dull. But that’s the way it is. He cannot refuse, let alone to avoid. He often feels empty inside, as if there is nothing special in his life. There is only coffee and coffee every day. His “mind” often complained about it, but to whom, he has no idea either. Yes, let's say, for someone who works in the coffee plantation, his job is unusual. It’s different from what people usually do in a coffee plantation. There is never a shovel, sickle, or typical farming equipment to use, he’s equipped with only a small knife to skin the coffee beans.

But he’s fine about it. He accepts it gracefully. He tried to relax because there was nothing he could do but to make a peace with his conditions. It all started in 12 years ago. The beginning of his fate went quite dark. When a part of the plant that he knows as a jungle orange plant injured his leg. Thorns of Thriphasia plant pierced his heel and ended up as an endless suffering.

His name is Hermawan, 41 years old man from Negeri Sakti, Gedong Tataan sub district, Pesawaran – Lampung. He is a coffee farmer. Every day he went into the forest to the coffee plantation. Until one day, the unfortunate thing occurred. So called a moment that changed his life, he’s now not the same person he was.

He was about to leave for work at the coffee plantation, through the same road as usual. He walked from home through some villages, next to the forest and ended at the coffee plantation. Hermawan stepped into the garden, carrying a sickle in his right hand; he walked along the route that he already knew very well. From the entire route, the forest is a pretty tough route for him. But since he’s used to it, he almost never complained the route that he has to pass. As if he’s able to walk blind the path, until he knew what shrubs he encountered along the way. Any animals that he often encounter and sometimes occasionally try to disturb him. He has already cleared that up.

But unfortunately, he missed something from his mind that day. When he was walking through the forest, his mind was distracted and he didn’t focus his sight of the forest. He forgot when he was crossing the bushes; there are shrubs, which are quite disturbing. Unfortunately, he never wears any footwear. As a result, the spines of orange trees just pierced right in the middle of his heel as deep as approximately 2 cm. He was shocked, he shouted and jumped. But his effort was useless to make the spines out of his legs. He immediately took a sitting position and tried to remove the thorns. While he was seeking help, he kept trying to pull out the thorns even though no one came to help until the thorn was released.

He took a deep breath for a while and was sitting in silence and struggling to fight the pain until it slowly faded away. He looked both ways, tried to reach out the leaves and used it a temporary medicine and to ease the pain. Slowly as he has smoothed the leaves, he wrapped the wound with a dry banana tree bark. Feeling a little better, he continued his way to work.

As if nothing happened. That day, he did his usual activities. He grazed the grass under the coffee tree and occasionally pruning the dry branches and tied some sacks that contain raw coffee beans that have been harvested by other workers.

When he got home, he lay down and started to think of what happened to him earlier. Feelings of anxiety and worry began to bug his mind. The reason is, he realized that has a long history of diabetes. Sure thing happened, two months later, the wound caused by pierced by the thorn was neither getting any better nor dry, it gets even wider, and contained pus. The pain started as if not a big deal then it became worse. He can’t walk anymore and stumble to do so.

His family decided to take him to the nearest hospital, but he was unlucky, since it was too late. Since the infections were severe, the doctor couldn’t help to heal the wounds but suggested to amputate his leg up to 10cm from his sole of feet.

Feelings of broken hearted, denial, and sadness are indeed inevitable. But he cannot do anything but to accept the fact that was the best way to save his life. Live the days as a disabled person is not easy. There are times when the feelings go up and down. Sometimes he cannot gracefully accept his condition but as time goes by, he started to live his life as before. He began to realize that he’s different now. He knows he is a physically disabled person. Although sometimes, he admits that there is also despair inside.

Until one day, he met one of sales canvasser from PT Mitra Komunikasi Nusantara Tbk, he started to have hopes and desire for life again, because the canvasser offered him to be one of beneficiaries of “Let’s Walk A Thousand Steps Movement” program and would be provided a prosthetic leg, free of charge.

He is so happy to welcome the opportunity, as if dream would come true. He was by visited MKNT Foundation on 6th November 2017. His enthusiasm was unstoppable. He was carefully watching the team of experts from the MKNT Foundation when they were preparing the right size for his feet. Once or twice, he was still struggling to wear the prosthetic leg. Naturally, he had lived 12 years of his life with an imperfect foothold. But after some attempts, he began to comfortable walking in his prosthetic leg.

“I’m very grateful and thankful to PT Mitra Komunikasi Nusantara Tbk. I am beyond happy; I hope this would be beneficial for myself. I pray to God that this program would last long and MKNT would be able to help other people who have the same condition.” He stated.

Now his life becomes better, although he still works in the coffee plantation, but he doesn’t skin coffee beans anymore. Now he is able to do other things, like grazing the grass under the coffee tree and pruning the dry branches like he used to do before, although he hasn’t able to lift the sacks that contain raw coffee beans, at the very least, he keeps trying.